Quite a Read: Turkey wrap-up…Part 1
This entry will be a little different from the rest. Because I have not posted pictures in the month that I’ve been in Turkey I will be writing a wrap-up of everything I’ve covered, with links to the pictures. You will have to click on the words in green to bring up the images. If I embedded the photos it would take 12 years to load this page!
First stop: Istanbul. Capital of the Seven Climates, of 3 continents, of the Eastern Roman Empire…and all that jazz.
Istanbul is a grandiose city, full of over the top monuments to past rulers in the shape of mosques and churches. Each ruler of Constantinople/Istanbul set about building a large scale building to mark their place in the history of the city. Modern visitors are treated to some of the world’s finest architectural wonders…though I’d reckon few know which sultan commissioned what.
The two most endearing examples of monumental one-up-man-ship, Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque sit opposite each other in the middle of Sultanahmet, staring each other down from across a fine garden. They are both truly spectacular buildings and because of their close proximity it’s hard to decide which to look at. Visitors seem to orient themselves facing their favorite of the two. For me, that was the Blue Mosque.
The mosque has over 200 windows and consists of many levels, with terraced half domes leading to the grand dome. There’s also a massive courtyard and six turrets. It is impossing but delicate, complicated but graceful. The more you look at the building the more beautiful it becomes…especially when lit at night . The prayer hall is vast, lit by candle chandeliers, its floors laid with intricate carpets, its domes painted in amazing detail. In short…it is truly glorious.
Hagia Sofia, too, is amazing. (though darker and broodier, and a bit harder to photograph well.) The church St. Sofia was converted to a mosque and then to a museum where millions of visitors now shell out 15lira (10Euro) to enter. (No wonder it is in fine shape.) The main hall has towering ceilings, the scale is truly grandiose. The hall is adorned with Islamic calligraphy of the names of God and the Prophets, on huge discs hung from the rafters. It’s actually worth the ridiculous admission fee…
Istanbul is home to the Grand Bazaar, supposed the largest market in the world. Seemingly endless pathways lead in all directions form the entrances, with countless stalls selling everything imaginable. The halls are covered, the ceilings arched and painted, but the architecture can not compare with the range of goods on offer.
For me, the most tempting offerings were the hand-made glass lanterns. There were stalls bursting with them, in a huge range of colors and shapes. I was saved from my compulsion to buy one of these rather pricey pieces by my inability to decide which one! They are all beautiful.
Another hand-made craft that abounds in the bazaar are hand-painted bowls, also in a range of bold colors. There are many different sizes and designs and every time I passed a booth that sold them I had to stop and look. I haven’t bought one yet…but I still have two days here….
I didn’t spend all my time coveting the local wares however, Zakaria and I also went for a boat ride on the Bosphorus, the chanel of water that separates the European part of Turkey from the Asian part. Walking along the water we befriended a local stray who walked with us all the way to the ferry, and even posed for a picture.. From the boat we got a lovely sunset view of the Sulimanye Mosque, another of Istanbul’s magnificent buildings. We only spent an afternoon on the other side of the water but got a taste of Istanbul on a more local scale, with its fruit markets and shops.
On our last day before venturing beyond Istanbul, Zakaria and I visited the Basilica Cistern, a cavernous underground space which used to provide the city with water. It was moody and atmospheric, with quiet classical music playing in the background. The cistern has hundreds of columns and the lighting and reflections on the water make it look endless. It was pretty hard to take good pictures here too, because it was too dark…but that didn’t stop us from trying. The highlight here are the Medusa head columns. At the far corner form the entrance are two columns supported by the heads of Medusa statues pilfered from other ancient sites, though no one knows exactly where. The heads are placed sideways and upside down, adding a bit of whimsy to the shadowy space.
From Istanbul it was on to Bursa. To be honest, I don’t have that much to say about it…I didn’t like it all that much.
Bursa is a market town, supposedly specializing in the silk trade, though we found more of the staple sort of good you find anywhere. The town does house the Green Mosque, which sits rather prettily at the edge of town beyond cute shops. In one store we found, of all things, African goods…and Zakaria couldn’t resist posing like a Zulu warrior with his scary staff.
Other then that the town is known for shadow puppet theatres…not exactly my cup of tea. There is a pretty cool monument in the center of town with the two archetypical players from the shows, and we happened to walk past it at a nicely lit time of day.
Beyond that…not much to say.
The same can not be said for Selcuk. Selcuk was a quaint little town with a tiny beach…but it’s real claim to fame is its proximity to the ruins of Ephesus. After my visit to the site I feel like I can stop visiting ruins…I’ve seen the best.
The Ephesus site it spread out over a sizeable area and we took hours walking around taking it all in. From the north entrance we found lots of scattered rocks and broken columns. Not entirely impressed yet we busied ourselves taking arty shots and playing hide-and-seek.
But just over the hill we were shocked by the next sections of ruins. They were magnificent, amazingly preserved and elaborate. The highlight though, no doubt, is the library, a two-story structure in great shape. It towering towered over us, adorned with statues and intricate carvings. Also impressive were the still intact mosaics floors nearby.
Zakaria’s favorite part, however, was the amphitheatre which, in its day, sat 24,000 spectators. It’s massive, arching out of any photographic frame….though, again, we did try. We finally found a spot a few minutes walk away where you were able to get most of it in the shot.
It was a couple hours before we’d seen the whole site, finally having had enough of the piles of detritus, the engraved slabs of marble, the blaring hot sun. I think we saw every square inch of the site before finally heading back to town.
I was discovering that Turkey is chock-full of things to see. Every time I consulted my faded guidebook pages another sight jumped out from the black and white text. But long before I entered Turkey I knew I would visit Pamulkkale.
I’d seen a picture, I can’t remember where, of Pamukkale and was dead-set on visiting. It’s incredibly hard to explain this one-place-on-earth natural phenomenon…but I’ll try. Picture tiers of rock, gleaming white, with shallow basins forming aqua pools on the many levels. The rock looks like snow, and in bright sunshine it is hard to look at, it is so reflective. Okay…really, a picture can do it better justice.
We climbed the rocks to the top and found the visitor center, complete with an amazing thermal pool, surrounded by some scant ruins. Our favorite part was a renovated, man-made (or man-enhanced) section at the top where you could sit under the mineral water streams that flowed down the many levels.
Before we left Zakaria couldn’t resist the urge to try some of the soft green mud that collects in the pools. There were people all over the place rubbing it into their skin. Zakaria didn’t find it that agreeable, it’s pretty coarse, but he did pose for a rather funny picture before washing it off. A picture of me at Pamulkkale was a bit more sedate.
Next stop: Bodrum…but I think you’ve read enough for now. Part II to follow soon…
Tags: Turkey
LizG
Hi Liz
Glad to get your response, crazy as ever!
Are you still coming back for thanksgiving? …And can we order in this year :)…although I did like the stuffing last year even if it was slightly over cooked!
Any loves in your lives?
Give me a call when you have a change, would like to hear from you.
Talk soon,
Sean